1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a zoom lens having a prism reflecting member that bends the optical path and an image pickup apparatus equipped with the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
With increasing variety of uses of video cameras and digital cameras in image shooting in recent years, they are demanded to have higher performance, such as wider angle of views and higher zoom ratios. On the other hand, size reduction and slimming of zoom lenses used in cameras are also demanded.
To reduce the thickness of a camera, a zoom lens having a reflecting prism that bends its optical path has been developed. Examples of such a zoom lens are disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 2010-048855, 2011-013281 and 2012-027084. In the zoom lenses disclosed in these patent literatures, the reflecting prism is arranged between a plurality of lens units that move during zooming to enable slimming of the camera when not in use and to help to increase the zoom ratio.